Plane crash in Greece

[peasepud 59]

Cypriot plane crashes in Greece

A Cypriot passenger plane carrying at least 121 people has crashed near Athens moments after losing radio contact with air traffic control.

 

Greek F-16 fighter jets scrambled to locate the plane reported seeing one pilot slumped in his seat, but could not see the plane's second pilot.

 

The Helios Airways plane, travelling from Larnaca, Cyprus, crashed in hills just north of the Greek capital.

 

A rescue helicopter dispatched to the site has not reported any survivors.

 

The head of air traffic control at Athens airport, Iannis Pantazaratos, told AFP they had no idea who was flying the plane.

 

"The airport lost all contact with the plane which should have landed in the late morning, and two air force planes sent up in reconnaissance found it flying above the Euboea peninsula, but they saw the pilots doubled up in the cabin," he said.

 

Rescue effort

 

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis cut short a holiday on the island of Tinos to return to Athens.

 

Police and military helicopters were sent to the scene, with dozens of ambulances also reportedly on their way.

 

One eyewitness, Dimitris Karezas, told the Reuters news agency he saw the plane being followed by fighter jets.

 

"Two, three minutes later I heard a big bang and ever since I've started looking for it, but I have not found anything yet," he said.

 

Helios Airways was founded in 1999 as Cyprus' first independent airline.

 

It operates a fleet of Boeing 737 jets between Cyprus and London, Athens, Sofia, Dublin and Strasbourg in France.

[Jimbo 175]

PASSENGER PLANE CRASHES

A Cypriot airliner with 121 people on board has crashed on a mountain northeast of Athens.

 

Just before the crash, an airport official said the plane appeared to be flying without a pilot.

 

Rescue officials have said there are no initial signs of survivors among the wreckage.

 

"The plane has crashed," Athens airport traffic control chief Iannis Pantazaratos said.

 

"The airport lost all contact with the plane which should have landed in the late morning.

 

"Two air force planes sent up in reconaissance found it flying above the Evvoia peninsula, but they saw the pilots doubled up in the cabin."

 

Greek police said there was no indication the plane had been hijacked.

 

"It's the worst accident we've ever had," airline safety officer Akrivos Tsolakis said.

 

"There apparently was a lack of oxygen which is usually the case when the cabin is depressurized."

 

The Boeing 737 was flying from Lanarca in Cyprus to Athens when it crashed onto a mountain on the Evvoia peninsula.

 

It reportedly came down at about 0920GMT near the coastal town of Kalamos, about 40 kilometres north of Athens.

 

The Helios airlines plane was reported to be carrying 115 passengers and six crew.

[adios 717]

"Greek TV reported that a passenger sent a text message to a cousin telling him that the pilot had turned blue in the face and the plane's temperature had plummeted.

 

Larnaca airport authorities told Cyprus state TV that the pilots may have lost consciousness because of a sudden drop in cabin pressure.

 

Farewell cousin we're freezing

Passenger's text message

"Farewell cousin we're freezing," the message read. "

 

From BBC

 

Looks like a tragic accident, for now.

[Rob W 0]

Looks liek a depressurisation problem - shouldn't have affected things that badly tho.............................

 

The pilot has 30 seconds++ to get his Oxygen mask on and then dive the plane to 10,000 ft

[peasepud 59]

It seemed rather than a depressurisation incident, the plane failed to pressurise in the first place so the oxygen dropped over a period of time rather than have any warning. It basically disappeared and people just 'fell asleep', its a worrying thought that this can happen, its one thing hitting a problem and having a go at sorting it but another for the crew just to 'fall asleep'.